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Overview
- Official ISP data show Rio registered 2,248 cellphone robberies and thefts during the six official carnival days in 2025, a 14% rise from 2024.
- Rio’s Centro recorded 750 cases—up 46% year over year—representing a third of citywide carnival incidents, with mornings concentrating nearly half of reports.
- Additional Rio hotspots during the festival included Ipanema (163), Flamengo (130), Botafogo (106), Glória (101) and Santa Teresa (76).
- Operação Rastreio reports more than 13,000 phones recovered, about 4,400 returned to owners, and over 780 arrests, as the Military Police used drones, a command vehicle, facial recognition and plate reading yet noted limits at unofficial blocos.
- São Paulo logged 154,058 cellphone robberies and thefts in 2025, only 10,477 returned to owners, and the SP Mobile program launched in June flags reactivated stolen devices and alerts users.